Emerging From Darkness Tarot

Positive Memories

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I’ve managed to fall behind yet again… and I can’t remember whether I meditated on the 24th or not. So I’ll leave this empty this time around as I finish up these posts that got started… but never published on the blog.

Traditional Manga Tarot - Six of CupsToday’s draw is the Six of Cups, which traditionally is a representation of the emotions that circle around topics of nostalgia and looking back into the past and embracing the joy and innocence that often comes with childhood memories and remembering past relationships.

What really stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is how much gold there is in the picture.  A golden glow seems to enshroud the entire scene, casting it alight in warm hues.

The message her is a reminder to keep your attention focused on the positive when you take a wander down memory lane.  Don’t allow yourself to stray off the path into the dark woods, but rather stay in that golden glow of warmth and positivity.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Advice I need to hear at this time concerning my personal growth.

Edmund Dulac TarotReading Summary:  You’re going to pay for it (Justice) if you don’t allow yourself some rest (Four of Coins) and keep striving for a positive perspective during this busy time (The Star).  It won’t last forever (Eight of Cups).

Take Away: The holiday rush is a really difficult time for me on a number of different levels.  The reminder here that it doesn’t last forever is a good one, but doesn’t excuse not getting enough rest or allowing yourself to fall into those darker negative inner dialogues that can often drag you down.  Personal upkeep, but on a physical level and an emotional one are no less important now than any other time of year, just harder to fit in for a brief amount of time.

DECK USED:  EDMUND DULAC TAROT

Positive Transformations

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IMG_7893Today’s meditation was just over twelve minutes long and was a guided meditation with interval timer for my piriformis stretches.  The thing is, though?  I have no idea what the guided part of the meditation was about.

I mean, I was listening I think… and part of the reason I save the little graphics that come with my meditation is so that it can prompt my memory of the guided topic.   And yet…. even the graphic doesn’t prompt up a memory of the meditation’s topic really.  Not even a vague memory remains.  Maybe I was deeper into my meditation than I thought?

I suppose that the important part is that I actually did the meditation at all, though.  Which I did.  So… yeah.

Traditional Manga Tarot - Ace of WandsToday’s draw is the Ace of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the seed of new beginnings in the area of one’s drive, inspiration, motivation, and inner spark.  This often translates into themes that have to do with new passion projects, sparks of curiosity, and things that strike your interest and kindle an inspired passion within you.

What really stands out to me in the imagery of this card today is the dress that the woman wears in the image.  She looks like she’s draped in malachite and surrounded in crazy lace agate.

Malachite holds within it the energy of transformation to ease struggles and foster insight.  Crazy lace agate is a stone used to foster and flourish joy in one’s life. This feels like a good omen, and I’m going to take it as such.

The message here today is to continue to transform those negative inner dialogues into positivity and optimism.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Topic: Do Spread #2
Question: I am struggling with incorporating self care into my day. What advice do I need to hear right now that will help me with this struggle over the next few weeks?

Dark Wood TarotReading Summary: Have patience (Temperance), because change takes time (Death). And it can hurt (white is you, red is change) so be prepared for that.

There are connections here in the colors that reinforce the message at hand.  In the Death card, the staff that death holds relates to the hair of the woman in the Five of Swords, and the gown the angel wears relates to the dress of the caught woman in the Five of Swords.

Connecting the figures in the imagery in this way,  you can see that the red haired woman (connected through color to Death/Change) is inflicting pain upon the caught woman in the Five of Swords card (who is reflected in the angel in the Death card drained of color).

Take Away: These cards are a reminder that it’s okay to miss self care now and then, because the effort to find balance after the changes made in my life (both by me in my effort to find better balance, and by the holiday rush) are going to cause a bit of imbalance and that imbalance naturally involves dropping the ball now and then.  And honestly?  Better to drop the ball just a bit on self care than on the business you’re trying to run during the holiday rush.  Thus…. it’s gonna hurt a bit because growing pains suck.  Instead of being hard on yourself, be kind and forgiving in those moments you slip up.

DECK USED:  DARK WOOD TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: When have I felt emotionally rich?

Golden Tarot by Kat Black

Reading Summary: This summer when I was resting (Four of Swords) after having experienced burnout (Ten of Wands), and was spending time ignoring much of the stressful crap (Eight of Swords).

Take Away:  The cards here are referring to the time off that I allowed myself each month over the summer. I’ve never really taken time off before, not even when going to my mother’s or out east.  I mean… yeah, I did… but not really.   What I found from that time is that when I’m able to step away from my responsibilities for a few days and breath, I find myself not just rejuvenated inside and out, but when I’m able to step away from the guilt of not working I’m also then able to focus on other things I enjoy as well…. and that I really like that.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN TAROT BY KAT BLACK

The Choking Point

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Today’s meditation was a try at the musical immersion meditation involving my synesthesia, which started off all well and good… until I fell asleep.   I’ll try again tomorrow.

Traditional Manga Tarot - Ten of WandsToday’s draw is the Ten of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of overwhelm, overburdening, and other themes to do with either taking on too much or having too much thrust upon you.

What stands out to me the strongest in this imagery is first, the sprouting leaves at the top of each of the wands she carries.   And second?  Her rather ineffective way of handling the five wands. This second point is something that often sticks out to me in the imagery on the Ten of Wands, because seriously?  The more organized you go about doing things, the more things you can manage at one time, and that definitely also applies to carrying a bunch of sticks.

That said (because that’s not the message of today, just my own Type A neurosis poking its head out), the leaves are the real message in today’s card.  Each staff is sprouting new growth, and they are very clustered together.  Just like when you plant seeds too close to each other, this means as plants grow from these seeds, they are then put in a competitive situation and will strangle each other out, killing each other off for the resources that they need.

So too is how responsibilities and projects go.  You can only juggle so much before these things begin competing for the attention and resources needed to continue to thrive.

Make sure you are giving those things you put your focus and drive towards have the attention they need to thrive, and the room they need to grow.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

LionHart’s As Above So Below Challenge Prompt
Jupiter Question: A reminder of something I can be grateful of/for, or something that could greatly help me right now.

The Sabbath Tarot

A Reminder of Something I Can Be Grateful For
Warden of Disks, Two of Swords atop Nine of Cups

I can be grateful for the fact that multitasking is possible. It’s okay to continue to go after my practical goals, even as I make choices that foster my emotional growth.  It’s okay to be both driven and content at the same time.  As opposing as the two things may seem, they are not mutually exclusive and there is no need to choose one or the other.

A Reminder of Something That Could Greatly Help Me Right Now
Five of Staves atop Ten of Cups, The Demiurge

Although it’s okay and possible to have both.  Don’t forget that sometimes you may have to fight harder for one or the other.  Right now, while you strive for that practical advancement, you also need to make sure you are fighting for the right of your emotions to still thrive.  One is a focus… the other is a fight.  Both are needed for the path forward and the Demiurge encourages you to make sure even as the balance may dip one way or another that you keep both in mind moving forward so that neither is lost in the weeds.

Take Away:  You know what you want and you have the drive to get there, just don’t lose sight of what is important along the way.

DECK USED:  THE SABBATH TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Philosophical Question: Do you live to eat, or eat to live?

Emerging from Darkness TarotReading Summary: Here we have emotional contentment (Ten of Cups), emotional connections to the past which in this case are positive (Six of Cups), and emotional celebration with those close to your heart (Three of Cups).  The cards are all about emotions and pleasure in the past, the present as well as the future.

Take Away: So, let’s be clear. My addictive personality makes it glaringly obvious that I live to eat. My brain is hard wired to latch on to pleasurable experiences and ride them into the ground. Add on to this the fact that I’m also an emotional eater, and if I didn’t have a metabolism that required me to consume a minimum of 6000 calories a day? I’d be as big as a house.

The cards here play this out beautifully, for it is through pleasure that I find my addictions, and many of those addictions are rooted in a need to self soothe or find an emotional balm of some sort.  I understand the psychology of it.  And honestly?  If food didn’t taste good?  I wouldn’t eat.

DECK USED:  EMERGING FROM DARKNESS TAROT

Heal & Transform November Challenge Prompt
Question: Where in my life am I holding too tightly?

Golden Tarot by Kat Black

Reading Summary: My tendency (The Devil) to want to control every little thing (The Magician) is obstructing my path rather than facilitating my journey (Three of Wands Rx).

Take Away: That’s a really big thing to try and loosen my grip on.  *Chuckles*  Okay so I get it.  I get how holding on too tight can be smothering and even crushing.  I’m just not sure if I’m capable of loosening that grip, to be honest.  That need to be in control is pretty overpowering.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN TAROT BY KAT BLACK

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is my role in my family?

Bosch Tarot

Reading Summary: To take uncertainty (The Moon) and turn it into something we can excel at together (Eight of Pentacles), which in others then fosters a feelings (Ace of Cups) of contentment (Nine of Cups) and feelings of safety and security (Nine of Wands).

Take Away:  The cards here indicate that I am the glue that helps hold us all together and inspires us to work together.  That then creates a feeling of community and comfort for everyone, bonding us together to create a home that feels both safe and satisfying.

DECK USED:  BOSCH TAROT

Revelry Can Be Healthy

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Today’s meditation was skipped.  This is primarily because I overslept and felt like if I went to lie down and meditate, I’d end up dozing off again.  I figured that an impromptu nap, although nice, probably wasn’t going to make my day go any smoother, so I decided to put the meditation off until later.  At this point, it’s now a meditation that I will do before bed, since it’s now the end of the day.

Traditional Manga Tarot - Four of WandsToday’s draw is the Four of Wands, which is traditionally a representation of the passion and stability found in one’s home life, the celebration of that stability and the relaxation it can provide, and the joys of homecoming.

When I think of the Four of Wands, I think of that moment when you step through the front door and take a breath.  The stress and tension of the outside world sloughing off and falling away as you exhale, and leaving behind a sense of relief.  That, in its own way, is very much a celebration… but it is not the kind of celebration that I see here in the imagery of today’s card.

What I see here looks more like revelry.

And… why not? Sometimes a little lighthearted revelry to celebrate the comfort and stability of your home life is a good thing.  A form of appreciation and expression of joy at the harmony and security you’ve grown and fostered for yourself and those you love.

DECK USED:  TRADITIONAL MANGA TAROT

#DiscordTarotolicsNov2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: Do Spread #2
What drives my urge to spend beyond my means?

Golden Tarot by Kat BlackReading Summary: The desire to have what I want when I want it (Seven of Swords), and feeling a lack of nurturing in my life (Queen of Cups Rx), combined with an enthusiasm that tries to blind me to reality (The Fool).

The Seven of Swords and Queen of Cups lean into the past, indicating that these urges are rooted in my past instead of within the present or future.  There is also a color connection between the Seven of Swords and the Fool which indicates that the “I want what I want when I want it” urge is a foolish endeavor, and rooted in childish mentality.

Take Away: I am feeling called out. *LOL*  Fortunately we are talking about urges, and I have the self restraint to make sure I do not spend beyond my means… no matter how tempting that might be sometimes.  The indication here is that that urge to spend beyond my means is rooted in the need for a balm to some inner part of myself that feels neglected and abandoned… combined with a bit of the whole “I want what I want when I want it” added in there.

DECK USED:  GOLDEN TAROT BY KAT BLACK

Heal & Transform November Challenge Prompt
Question: What aspect of myself am I ready to nurture and embrace?

Emerging From Darkness Tarot

Reading Summary: Everybody is looking towards the past, and thus this reading is about the past and how it influences my present and future.

In the past lies the home life I craved filled with stability, security, comfort, and harmony (Four of Wands Rx). I’m ready to lean into my meditation and spirituality (Four of Cups) to overcome the obstacles that my past has created (Nine of Wands) and move forward in learning how to build my own home (Daughter of Coins).

Take Away:  The cards here indicate that it is time to use my spirituality and meditation to assist me in overcoming my shadows concerning my home life when I was young and how it influences how I treat myself and look at my future goals concerning home life and stability.  There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding my stability and security when it comes to my home life, not because I am unable to create these things, but because there is a negative whisper inside where my shadows live that tells me it’s never enough.

It’s time to start nurturing that part of myself, and accepting that the past does not have to reverberate into the future.

DECK USED:  EMERGING FROM DARKNESS TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: What is my biggest strength?

Tarots Egyptiens Anima Antiqua

Reading Summary:  Using my sense of order and organization (Nine of Wands) to assist me in getting what I want out of life (Ten of Coins) and using my creativity to get me there (Knight of Cups) despite the obstacles that stand in my path (Queen of Wands Rx).

Take Away:  The fact that I am adaptable and willing to use my creativity to advance towards my goals, combined with my sense of order and organization, is my greatest strength as it allows me to overcome obstacles that might try to block me along the way.

DECK USED:  TAROTS EGYPTIENS ANIMA ANTIQUA